Ticket machine



May 7, 1935. A. BoLoGNlNo TICKET MACHINE Filed May l2, 1931 4Sheets-Sheet l TICKET MACHINE Filed May l2, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 N.IWI@ May 7, 1935.

A. BOLOGNINO TICKET MACHINE FiledMay 12. 1931 4 Sheet's-Sheet 3 slN ENOR mlm/ May 7, 1935. A. BoLoGNlNo TICKET MACHINE Filed May 12, 1931 4Sheets-Sheet 4 K Patented i May 7, 1935 y UNITED STATES A"PATENT oFFicE'rrcxa'r mem e vAnilx'e'w Bolognino, NewYork. .'Y.

Application my` 12, 1931, semi No. saam s calm. `(ci. isi- 42) Thisinvention relates to the handling of tickets, particularly admissiontickets, such as used in motion picture theatres.

The objects of the invention are to provide simple, practical andreliable apparatus for taking the tickets, cancelling, counting andstoring the same.

The attainment of the foregoing and other desirable objects is effectedby the novel features of construction, combinations and relations ofparts hereinafter described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

The embodimentr of the invention shown in the drawings constitutes onecommercial form, but it should be understood that the actual physicalstructure may be modified and changed as regards this particulardisclosure without departure from the true spirit and broad scope of theinvention.

Fig. 1 is a broken plan view of the machine chosen to illustrate theinvention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on substantiallythe plane of line 2-2 of Fig. l, with the main body of the machineappearing as in side elevation; Fig. 3 is a broken longitudinalsectional -view as-on line 3-3 of Fig. l through the midportion of themachine; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the machine as on line 4-4of Fig. l; Fig. 5 is a broken detail of one of the counters and theactuating disc for the same; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional detail ofthe starting switch located in the receiving throat of the machine, thisview being taken as on line 3-6 of Fig. 1; Fig..'1 is a plan viewillustrating relation of the entering ticket to the stop gage and motorcircuit controller.

Figs. l, 2 and 3 show how the tickets which are designated l, areinserted in the machine, either singly or in strip form, through afunnelshaped guide throat 3, into a channel provided between a top plateI3 and bottom guide or support Il, against .a retractable stop pin l2.-As the leading edge of the ticket or ticket strip meets or approachesthe stop pin I2, a circuit controller is actuated to automatically startthe machine. This circuit controller is shown in detail in Fig. 6, asconsisting of a bowed spring contact I3, designed to be lifted by theticket into engagement with an overstanding spring contact Il, to closethe circuit through the motor I5.

The motor i5 is shown connected to drive the machine through a belt I6,about a pulley I1, on a shaft I3, carrying a worm I3 in mesh with a wormgear 2li, on a transverse shaft 2l, The

latter carries the cams and other 'machine elements for actuating theseveral parts of the machine.

The operation of the shaft 2| effects first a gripping engagement withthe entered ticket or 5 ticket strip and then an advancement into themachine equivalent to a ticket length.

The ticket gripper consists of two sets of prongs 22 projecting upwardfrom a slide 23, through slots 24 in the bottom Il of the ticket 10guide and arranged to pierce the ticket along its opposite edges asindicated' at 25 in Fig. '7.

The gripper slide 23 has an undercut or dovetail sliding engagement 26in a lifting and lowering support 21. The latter is shown as sup- 15ported on oscillating cam shafts 28, which in the position illustratedin Figs. 3 and 4, with the plate21 resting on the flats of the camshafts. lowers the prongs out of the guide channel, said shafts whenturned to bring the round- 20 ed portions of the same upward, serving tolift the supporting plate 21 and the prong plate slidingly mountedthereon. The lifting and lowering plate 21 is shown as guided bystraight up and down movements by having projecting pins 25 29 on theedges of the same riding in slots 30 in the sides of the frame, Fig. 2,and springs 3i hold the plate firmly engaged with the rolling camshafts.

The prong carrying member 23 is shown in Fig. 3 as longitudinallyslotted at 32, to clear the gage pin I2 and the latter is shown asautomatically retracted by a swinging lever 33, pivotally supportedintermediate its ends at 3l and connected at one end at 35, with thelower end of the gage pin and at its opposite end at 36 Vwith the risingand lowering support 21. It will be evident from Fig. 3, that upon thelifting movement of plate 21, the lever 33 will be rocked to lower thegage pin out of the way of the ticket entered in the guide channel. Thuswith the piercing of the ticket by the grip pins, the gage or stop pinswill be lowered to permit onward feeding movement of the ticket by thegrip pins. The advancing motion ofthe ticket gripping pins is eilectedin the illustration by a link 31, connected at one end with a pin 38,projecting from one side of the sliding grip and slotted at its oppositeend at 39, to engage a crank pin 40, on a crank disc 4i, on the mainshaft 2i. The purpose of slot 39 is to allow lost motion, sufllcient foroperation of the lifting cam shafts 2B, before the ticket advancingmovement of the slide takes place. Fig. 2 shows this timed relation ofthe parts and the actuating means for 55 Git the cam shafts, consistingofthe cam I! on shaft 2i, engaging a cam follower 43 on slide Il, whichcarries racks I5, in engagement with pinions 4B on the ends of shaftsZI. 'I'his rack slide is shown as retracted by a spring I1.

Thus it will be seen, that with the direction of rotation indicated inFig. 2, the cam 42 will operate to turn the lifting cam shafts 2I toforce the prongs 22 into the ticket positioned against gage I2, before alink 31, through its lost motion connection at 39 operates todraw theprong carrying slide forward to advance the ticket further into themachine.

While the machine is suited to handling single tickets, it is speciallyequipped to take the tickets in strip form and to sever and stack thesame in a magazine.

The strip severing mechanism is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, as consistingof a cutter blade Il, pivotally mounted at I9, in position to cooperatewith a stationary shear blade I at the end of the ticket guidingpassage, and having a loop 5i receiving one end portion of lever 52,pivotally mountedv at II and engaged at its opposite end by a pin or camelement 5I, on one face of disc 55 on cam shaft 2|.

The magazine which receives the severed tickets is illustrated in Figs.2 and 3, as a vertical container 56, removably supported at 51, with itsupper end in line with and constituting a horizontal open continuationof the ticket channel and beneath theticket chopper, so as to directlyreceive the last-severed ticket. A packer 5I, supported for verticalmovement in a guide 59, is positioned above the open mouth of themagazine, at a point to deflect issuing tickets down into the magazine.This packer is shown as lifted by a spring II and as depressed aftereach severing action of the knife by Ione end of an overstanding leverIl, pivotally supported at I2 and having at its opposite end a camportion II, engaged by a pin or cam element I4 on the opposite face ofthe disc Il, carrying the cam pin II.

From the description and illustration, it will be clear that as theknife chops oif the tickets arriving over the end of the machine, thepacker operates to force them down into the magazine, one on top of theother in a neat stack as indicated in Fig. 3. A receding support for thestack is shown in Fig. 3 in the form of a blade II, guided andyieldingly supported in the magazine by a bowed spring II on the bottomof the blade having curled ends frictionally engaging the walls of themagazine. A slot I1 in one side of the magazine, enables the stackingoperation to be observed and further enables the support or follower I5,to be readily shifted to the starting position. When the magazine isfull, or at any other time, it may be removed upon loosening thefastenings at 51 and then be quickly emptied by engaging the springfollower through the slot I1 and sliding it in the direction l todischarge the stack of tickets from the open end of the holder.

While the perforation of the tickets by the feeding prongs may beconsidered sumcient to constitute effective cancellation of the tickets,additional and more complete cancellation is effected in the presentdisclosure'by a special cancelling punch shown at EI, in Fig. 3, overthe ticket channel and actuated by the extended tip portion 69 of thecutter actuating lever 52. This punch is normally retracted out of thepath of the tickets by spring 1I. Thus, it will be Seen,

that as the first ticket in line is out off and dropped into themagazine, the second ticket will be cancelled bypunch BI.

The tickets are automatically counted in the machine illustrated, by thetwo counters designated 1| and 12 in Figs. 1 and 4, intended to registertickets of two different values and positioned at opposite sides of themachine with their actuating arms 1I, 1I, in positionto be engagedrespectively by pins 15, 1I, on discs 1l, 1I, carried by an oscillatingshaft 19. This shaft is transversely shiftable by a yoke III, toselectively position the crank pins 1I, 1I, for operating one or theother of the counters, Fig. 4, such movement of the yoke being effectedas by a button or handle Il, connected with the yoke II and operatingthrough a slot I! in the top or4 cover I3 of the machine.

The counter shaft 1I is operated by the tickets entered in the machinethrough the medium of the two spur wheels I4 on the shaft and adapted,upon lowering the shaft, to project down through slots I5 in the top ofthe ticket guide into engagement with the ticket strip. This downwardticket engaging movement is enectedin the illustration by the mountingof shaft 1I in the arms of a yoke II, carried by a rock shaft I1 andhaving an arm II at one end actuated on by a spring I9. The upwardticket disengaging movement is effected from the knife actuating lever52, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, by providing the shaft carrying yoke Il, with atail portion II, interposed between the end I9 of the knife lever andthe head of the cancelling punch II. The cam lever l! is thus made toserve the triple function of operating the ticket chopper, thecancelling punch and lifting the ticket counting shaft.

'I'he ticket counting shaft 1I is returned back to an initial position,after each operation of the same, by a return spring Il, surrounding theshaft and connected to rotate the shaft backwardly, until a stop pin I2thereon, engages a shoulder or stop lug II, Figs. 1, 3 and 4.

It will be apparent, that the effect of the feed prongs, striking upwardthrough the ticket and drawing the ticket into the machine, will be toforce the ticket rmly up against the spur wheels I4 and tothen rotatesaid wheels and consequently, the shaft on which they are mounted, andthereby to actuate one or the other of the two counters, depending uponwhich way the selector button Il is shifted. In Fig. 1, the shiftingyoke II is omitted to show more clearly the annular grooves II in thehubs of the crank discs 11, 1I, engaged by the ends of the sliding yokeand this view also illustrates how these crank discs are slidingly keyedon the counter shaft 1I by making the ends of the shaft half-round andthe bores of the discs to fit.

A bell or other signal may be provided and connected for operation ateach counting and cancelling action of' the machine. Contacts II, 96,are shown in Fig. 2, carried by the rack bar 44 in the frame of themachine, which may be employed to control such a signal circuit or beused for safety or other purposes, for instance to stop the machine inthe proper position to take the next ticket.

One special advantage of the machine is that the entire operationbecomes automatic as soon as a ticket or ticket strip is entered in themachine. 'Ihe leading edge of the ticket engages a stop or gage I2,being thereby positioned for proper operation in the machine andsubstantially at the same moment, the ticket closes the motorcontrolling circuit, causing the grip prongs to come up through theticket and advance it one ticket length into the machine. In thismovement, which ever ticket counter is selected for actuation, isoperated to register 'the ticket. On the next feed stroke, whether it bedue to a second ticket attached to the first, or separate ticket enteredin the machine, the first ticket passes over into the magazine beingsevered, if in strip form and is backed down on top of the stack in themagazine. Before passing over into the magazine, the first ticket iscancelled by the cancelling punch 10. Thus, all tickets stacked in themagazine are cancelled and counted, and the contents of this holder maytherefore, be used at any time for checking purposes.

While the structure disclosed is a practical and commercial form of theinvention, it will be understood that changes and modifications may bemade to meet different requirements, all within the broad scope of theclaims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a machine of the character disclosed, the combination of a ticketguide, a stop gage associated with said guide and positioned topositively stop a ticket inserted in said guide, ticket feeding meansfor engaging a ticket so inserted in the guide, a controller positionedfor actuation by a ticket engaged with the stop gage and power actuatedmeans governed by said controller for retracting the stop gage andoperating the ticket feeding means.

2. In a ticket receiving machine, an actuating shaft provided with aticket engaging member, ticket feeding means arranged to force a ticketbeing fed into driving engagement with said ticket engaging member onthe shaft and means for automatically tripping the ticket engagingmember from cooperative relation with said ticket feeding member whenthe latter has completed its ticket feeding movement.

3. In a machine of the character disclosed, in combination, a ticketguide, a raising and lowering support beneath the guide, a reciprocatingticket advancing slide on said raising and lowering support, a ticketreceptacle positioned to receive tickets from the guide, power means foractuating said raising and lowering support and said reciprocating feedslide and a controller positioned for actuation by a ticket entered inthe ticket guide and connected to automatically start said power means.

4. In a machine of the character disclosed, in combination, a ticketguide, a raising and lowering support beneath the guide, a reciprocatingticket advancing slide on said raising and lowering support, a ticketreceptacle positioned to receive tickets from the guide, means foractuating said raising and lowering support and said reciprocating feedslide and a retractable stop gage for locating the tickets in the guideand connected for actuation by said raising and lowering support.

l5. In a machine of the character disclosed, the combination of a guidechannel, a lifting and lowering reciprocating feed member beneath saidguide channel, a retractable positioning stop operating in the guidechannel, a cancelling punch operating in the guide channel, a ticketchopper at the end of the guide channel and a ticket receptacle adjacentsaid ticket chopper.

6. In a machine of the character disclosed, the combination of a guidechannel, a lifting and lowering reciprocating feed member beneath saidguide channel, a retractable positioning stop operating in the guidechannel, a cancelling punch operating in the guide channel, a ticketchopper at therend of the guide channel, a ticket receptacle adjacentsaid ticket chopper, power mechanism for actuating said meansaforesaidin timed relation and a controller for said power means positioned foractuation by the ticket entered in the guide channel into engagementwith said retractable positioning stop.

7. In a machine of the character disclosed, the combination of a guidechannel, a lifting and lowering reciprocating feed member beneath saidguide channel, a retractable positioning stop operating in the guidechannel, a cancelling punch operating in the guide channel, a ticketchopper at the end of the guide channel, a ticket receptacle adjacentsaid ticket chopper, power mechanism for actuating said means aforesaidin timedrelation, a controller for said power means positioned foractuation by the ticket entered in the guide channel into engagementwith said retractable positioning stop, the powermechanism including asingle shaft and means operated from said shaft for actuating theseveral instrumentalities aforesaid.

8. A machine for handling strip tickets, cornprising in combination aguideway for the tickets, means for feeding tickets entered in saidguideway, a cancelling device for acting on the tickets in the guideway,a knife at the end of the guideway for severing strip tickets in ticketlengths, a receptacle at the end of the guideway for receiving ticketlengths cut by the knife, a motor for driving the aforesaid mechanismsin timed relation and a switch for controlling said motor and positionedfor actuation by tickets entered in the guideway.

9. A machine for handling strip tickets, comprising in combination aguideway for the tickets, means for feeding tickets entered in saidguideway, a cancelling device for acting on the tickets inthe guideway,a knife at the end of the guideway for severing strip tickets in ticketlengths, a receptacle at the end of the guideway for receiving ticketlengths cut by the knife, a motor for driving the aforesaid mechanismsin timed relation, a switch for controlling said motor and positionedfor actuation by tickets entered in the guideway and switch meansautomatically operable to stop the machine in the proper position of theparts to take the next ticket.

ANDREW BOLOGNINO.

